Copper Price in 1973

In 1973, the price of copper averaged $0.81 per pound, up 58.8% from the year before. This page covers the 1973 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that copper would be worth in today's dollars.

1973 Average

$0.81

LME/COMEX annual average, USD/lb

Change vs 1972

+58.8%

from $0.51 in 1972

What happened to the copper price in 1973

Copper averaged $0.81 per pound in 1973, surging 58.8% from the $0.51 average of 1972. Annual moves of that size are rare and put 1973 among the most explosive years in the metal's modern history. The defining story of 1973: First oil crisis; commodity boom.

Copper spent the 1970s buffeted by the decade's twin oil crises and inflation. Priced near $0.52 a pound in 1971, it swung sharply with the 1973-74 commodity boom and the recession that followed, closing the decade around $0.90.

Adjusted for inflation, copper's 1973 average of $0.81 equals about $5.88 in today's dollars. The conversion uses US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the price of copper in 1973?

Copper averaged $0.81 per pound in 1973, based on LME and COMEX annual average data. That average was up 58.8% from $0.51 in 1972.

What is a 1973 copper price worth in today's dollars?

Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, copper's 1973 average of $0.81 works out to roughly $5.88 in today's dollars, using 2025 as the CPI base year. The conversion uses BLS CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.

What moved the copper price in 1973?

The defining story of 1973: First oil crisis; commodity boom. Against that backdrop, the annual average climbed 58.8%, from $0.51 in 1972 to $0.81.

Annual averages are LME and COMEX copper prices per pound in US dollars. Where shown, the yearly high, low, and close come from MetalCharts daily historical data and may differ slightly from figures published elsewhere. Inflation adjustments use BLS CPI-U annual averages.